Thrillers are a very specific and popular movie genre with mechanisms, story devices, and history that screenwriters must be well versed in before trying to pen such a script. This book breaks down these considerations with copious examples from well-known thrillers and how you can use these examples to inform your own screenwriting. Laced with practical exercises that will help you think in pragmatic terms about what you can do as a writer to better service this genre, this book is a must-have for any new screenwriter thinking about writing a thriller.
Author Kelly Marshall breaks down both modern and classic thrillers, providing you with insight as to how the masters did it and how you can apply these lessons to your own screenplay. Topics covered include:
- Creating strong antagonists and protagonists
- Audience expectations within the genre
- Obstacles and conflict
- Structure and themes
- Reversals, McGuffins, fight or flight scenarios, and much more
Inhaltsverzeichnis
Table of Contents
A: Action; Antagonist; Audience
B: Battle; Body Count; Brain Over Brawn
C: Claustrophobia; Clarity
D: Danger; Detective
E: Escape; Expectations of Genre; Exposition
F: Fear; Flight or Fight; Friend or Foe;
G: Gathering; Get Lost; Girls
H: High Concept/Low Budget; Home;
I: Identity; Intrigue; Isolate (to Eliminate)
J: Judge and Jury; Just Desserts; Justification
K: Kidnap/Hostage; KISS- Keep it Simple Stupid
L: Lair; Lie Low;
M: McGuffin; Moral Standing; Misdirection;
N: Nowhere to Hide; Nothing They Can Do;
O: Obstacles; On the Run;
P: Physical Strength and Stamina; Plot; Protagonist;
Q: Quintessential Thriller; Quiet
R: Rescue; Reversals; Rules of the World;
S: Structure; Suspense;
T: Themes; Ticking Clock;
U: Unmerciful- Conflict; Urgency- Time Scale;
V: Victory; Violence; Voyeurs;
W: What's the Worst That Can Happen? ; World; Wrong Place at the Wrong Time;
X: X-Ray
Y: Yep, All Safe and Sound;
Z: Zzzzzz!
